Sharon laughed at the incredulity in her friend’s voice. Gerry Dornan had not aged well; her lifestyle had taken its toll and she looked what she was: a good-time girl. She had systematically worked her way through every Face or wannabe-Face in London but she had never found the happiness she hoped she would. Gerry’s trouble was she thought that everyone she met had the same capacity for loving that she had. The repercussions she was confronted with when the people she took up with were liars and thieves never occurred to her – she believed every word they said and then she was disappointed. It was always the same: she gave them her heart overnight and the passion was gone as quickly as it had arrived. Reggie had once said to Sharon that his sister was in love with the idea of being in love. Sharon had a feeling that he was right. She wished, in some ways, the same could be said for her.

She had spent the last years living a complete and utter lie. Nothing had been the same since the wedding; the fears she’d tried so hard to ignore had only multiplied. Oh, she loved Ray, especially when he was making love to her. That would never change – he was the only man to ever ring her bells. But it was their day-to-day existence that frightened her with her husband. Because she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him. She had come to terms with the fact that he took a flier now and again these days. But then she wasn’t exactly in the first flush of youth and she was well aware that men like Ray had women throwing themselves at him all the time. He seemed to have a penchant for young blondes – he always liked the fair-haired women. She supposed it was because he was so dark himself – dark-skinned, dark-eyed and dark-haired, though his lovely, thick hair was streaked with grey these days. But, wouldn’t you know it, it just made him look more distinguished. Sod’s law, she supposed.

As for Sharon, she was rattling around in her big house – there was plenty to keep her busy. At weekends she cooked for the family and they sat and ate together as usual. She still washed their clothes and ironed for them all. She knew that even Ray felt she should have a hobby or something, but she wasn’t sure there was anything she really wanted to do. She couldn’t see herself going to flower-arranging classes or learning French, it just all seemed pretty pointless to her. She was knocking on fifty, her sons were grown men now, and her daughter was nearly eighteen. She didn’t think she was going to stagnate just because she no longer had them to look after constantly.

‘Why don’t you come out with me one night? Have a girlie one, Sharon?’